DECT-2020 New Radio (NR), commercially recognized as DECT NR+, stands as a unique paradigm shift in the wireless landscape, being the first non-cellular radio access technology ratified by the ITU-R as part of the 5G IMT-2020 family. Unlike traditional cellular frameworks, DECT NR+ is built upon a decentralized multi-hop communications architecture that enables massive-scale, self-organizing mesh-tree topologies without the need for costly centralized infrastructure. This article provides an overview of the fundamental design principles that define this standard, focusing on its flexible physical layer and decentralized resource allocation mechanisms. Furthermore, we trace the standard’s rapid development cycle, detailing its evolution from the baseline Release 1 to the high-performance enhancements and expanded frequency support of the future Release 3. Finally, the article assesses the current market landscape and the maturity of commercial off-the-shelf hardware, positioning DECT NR+ as a critical, rapidly evolving enabler for the next generation of industrial and enterprise IoT deployments.
The studies conducted within the ITA-NTN project and their results provide a vision of future 6G networks by integrating Terrestrial Networks (TNs) and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), offering insights into emerging standardization directions. Specifically, an architectural evolution is envisaged in which NTN elements will increasingly perform complex routing operations, such as those of 5G radio nodes. Higher-performance transmission techniques are also expected, exploiting new frequency bands, with a proposal to shift high-bit-rate transmission to the W (75-110 GHz) region. Also, Free-Space Optics (FSO) is a particularly promising technology for achieving high-capacity links, though some limitations still need to be overcome. Furthermore, specific modulation techniques appear to be very important in NTN environments, especially for mitigating Doppler-related degradation, as in Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA). Finally, management and orchestration require solutions due to a whole series of behaviors that NTNs have, unlike TNs, and in this context, the concept of Intent-Based Networking appears promising.
Metasurfaces are emerging as a transformative technology for next-generation Satellite Communications (SatComs), offering unprecedented control over electromagnetic wave propagation within compact and lightweight architectures. This article analyzes the application of advanced electromagnetic metasurfaces in SatComs, with a focus on antenna miniaturization, broadband and multiband operation, and flexible beamforming. Beyond conventional antenna enhancement, metasurface-enabled Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) beam generation and electromagnetic/thermal signature management are discussed as promising enablers for capacity improvement and system robustness. Key implementation challenges, including fabrication constraints, power consumption, and long-term reliability in harsh space environments, are examined. Finally, future research directions are outlined, highlighting Artificial Intelligent (AI)-assisted and energy-efficient metasurface systems, as well as emerging applications in green communications, space situational awareness, and 6G non-terrestrial networks (NTNs).
Disaggregation of Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) offers greater transparency, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness; however, there is a risk of an increase in the exposure of the connecting interfaces – O1, O2, A1, F1, E2, etc. The evolving quantum computing makes the current ciphers employed in these interfaces vulnerable — emphasizing the importance of developing a quantum-resistant mechanism to ensure long-term secure communication. The strategy is to use Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC), which can make communication secure during the quantum era. This work investigates the incorporation of PQC in O-RAN — specifically targeting the Midhaul (F1) interface between Central Unit (CU) and Distributed Unit (DU) — Disaggregated and Control User Plane Separation (CUPS) architectures. NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms — Module-Lattice-Based-Key-Encapsulation-Mechanism (ML-KEM), Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA), along with Classical algorithms AES-256-GCM through Hash-Based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) based Key Derivation Function (HKDF) — provide a strong and robust security to the proposed work, making the communication quantum resistant by safeguarding from classical and quantum attacks. The analysis is performed multi-fold, demonstrating the feasibility of incorporating PQC with the Disaggregated and CUPS O-RAN — considering Latency, Capacity, Reliability, and Resource Efficiency — providing a foundational work for the quantum-safe O-RAN infrastructure that ensures long-term security.
Deterministic wireless connectivity is becoming essential for Industry 4.0 systems, in which sensing, communication, computation, and control must operate under strict timing and reliability constraints. Practical deployment remains challenging because of the ongoing reliance on fragmented protocol stacks and loosely integrated logic, which continue to hinder application interoperability and network-level determinism. This study presents a standards-aligned deterministic wireless middleware that bridges this gap by linking the application intent to cross-layer orchestration across heterogeneous sensing, wireless transport resources, and edge analytics. The framework is designed around middleware functions for device and service discovery, semantic normalization, publish-subscribe event brokering, deadline-aware policy enforcement, synchronization control, and resilience management, while remaining compatible with TSN, DetNet, OPC UA, DDS, and 3GPP time-sensitive communication principles. A real-time tennis training and match analytics testbed was used as a representative cyber-physical proxy for Industry 4.0 workloads involving multimodal sensing, synchronized fusion, low-latency analytics, and closed-loop feedback. This study is motivated by the need to move beyond application-specific wireless integration toward a middleware layer that can consistently translate real-time service intent into synchronized communication, deadline-aware forwarding, edge execution, and interoperable data exchange. Experimental evaluation across serve analysis, rally tracking, and coaching feedback showed that the proposed middleware reduced the mean end-to-end latency from 79.0 to 30.3 ms, lowered the jitter from 14.3 to 2.9 ms, increased the deadline satisfaction from 71.0% to 98.0%, and reduced the synchronization error from 7.3 to 3.2 ms relative to conventional wireless operations. The results demonstrate that standardized middleware can serve as the missing link between interoperable industrial applications and deterministic wireless connectivity in Industry 4.0 environments.
